1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to artistic light displays for appliance and design room lighting, and more particularly to such a display using a broadband light source, a reflective medium with artistic pattern, and an imaging screen or background surface for receiving the reflected patterned light for visual artistic display.
2. Description of Related Art
The following art defines the present state of this field:
McMahen, U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,033 describes a light beam scanning apparatus including a rotatable disc having a plurality of focusing elements disposed in an annular or spiral pattern such that an impinging light beam is intercepted in succession by each of the focusing elements and deflected along a plurality of adjacent lines thereby providing, in accordance with the characteristics of the focusing elements, either a two-dimensional scan pattern oriented respectively transverse or parallel to the direction of the focused light or alternatively a three-dimensional scan pattern encompassing the areas of the orthogonal two-dimensional patterns.
Kato et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,202 describes a light beam deflection system for producing diffracted light having a holographic light beam deflection disc bearing a record of unidimensional fringe pattern along the radial axis on a time division basis over a circumferential portion of the light beam deflection disc while rotating the disc.
Homes et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,363 describes a security device includes first and second diffractive structures contained within a surface relief structure. The structures are such that the device responds to illumination at first, visible wavelength to generate a first, visible pattern while any pattern generated by the second structure is not substantially visible at that wavelength, and the device responds to illumination at a second wavelength substantially different from the first wavelength to generate a second pattern suitable for machine reading while any pattern generated by the first structure is substantially suppressed relative to the machine readable pattern at that wavelength.
Kramer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,459 describes a holographic scanning system includes a reflective type holographic spinner having a plurality of diffraction gratings on its surface. A reconstruction wavefront incident on a non-grating surface of the spinner is reflected into a corrective optical element which displaces and redirects the wavefront so that it is incident at the grating at an angle corrected for the effects of spinner wobble.
Heiling, U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,576 describes a flat disk contains a number of holograms made from the interference of a plane wavefront with spherical wavefront modified by a first cylindrical lens. The disk is rotated so that a plane reconstruction wave front sweeps across the holograms. The resulting reconstructed wavefront is passed through a second cylindrical lens, resulting in a focussed point sweeping across and object surface in one or more substantially straight lines.
Ih, U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,105 describes an apparatus which includes an optical spinner having a surface rotatable about an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the surface at its point of intersection with the axis. A source of coherent radiation is directed toward the surface and a zone-type lens covering at least a portion of the surface is configured to receive the radiation and direct it toward a first scanning focal point locus. An auxiliary reflective means is disposed in the path of the directed radiation, the reflective means being shaped to redirect the radiation toward a second scanning focal point locus, such that the principal ray of the radiation is substantially perpendicular to the axis. In this manner, the problems generally encountered with no-normal impinging light bundles are overcome.
Gordin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,221 describes a highly controllable way to light target areas includes a primary reflector which generates a defined primary beam in association with a light source. The primary beam, or at least a portion of the primary beam, is directed onto a secondary reflector which generates a secondary beam to the target space. The secondary reflector can be configured in any number of contours, shapes, specularities, or other characteristics to alter and control the characteristics of the secondary beam. Various options, alternatives, and features are possible with the invention. For example, a plurality of light sources and primary reflectors can be used with one secondary reflector. The surface of the secondary reflector can be corrugated to have alternating segments to direct light in different directions. A combination of light source, primary reflector, and secondary reflector can also be positioned on a moveable base. A plurality of secondary reflectors and light sources a primary reflectors can be positioned on one moveable base and can be oriented in different configurations for different lighting effects.
The prior art teaches various light projection and reflection systems for producing artistic visual displays. However, the prior art does not teach that the white light may be excluded from the display by producing a highly collimated and screened light source and directing its beam at a diffraction grating or hologram plate in such a manner as to suppress and diminish white light creation and propagation. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.